Win Them All
by annablossom4703
Summary: A death has brought the Winx back together, and torn them apart. Now a criminal is on the loose, and it could be tied to the death, but is it? The Winx will have to grow closer to each other as they come to realize sometimes you cannot win them all. (Rated T to be safe.)
1. Chapter 1

Hey, everybody (or Butterflies, as I have started calling you all)! This is a rewrite of my story _Double Sirenix_ , which was not my best work. (I'm sorry to anyone who read that!) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! Here's Chapter 1!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to RAI and Iginio Straffi.

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(3rd Person POV)

Bloom watches numbly as the others walk away from the site, no one saying a word. She hates that this is how the group would meet up again, but she knows no one gets the power to control fate. She stops staring out at her former classmates and turns her attention back towards the casket in front of her. The snow falls heavily around and on top of the tent. She is tempted to open the casket and tell her beloved friend farewell a final time, to kiss her friend a final goodbye. But she cannot, and she will not. She fears touching the body of her friend because she does not want to remember her friend that way, nor does she want to feel the cold touch of death. She wishes she could have done something or at least been there to say goodbye, but the past is in the past.

Someone's arm wraps around Bloom's shoulders and pulls her away from the casket. But Bloom resists and longs to stay by the casket forever. The person stops trying to force Bloom to go, but the person takes Bloom's hand and squeezes it. It will be a difficult road to closure for Bloom, even more difficult for her than the rest of them, because of what the deceased meant to Bloom. Bloom starts crying all over again, and her tears freeze to her face as she does so. Nothing in the world can ease the pain or the hole in her heart. She wants nothing more than to bring the deceased back, but she knows that is impossible. Even the power of the Dragon Flame cannot undo death.

"Bloom, it is time to go," the person whispers.

"No. Please, let me stay with her. I cannot go back to Alfea. I cannot assume the position," Bloom cries.

"The students need you."

"I know, Griselda. I know." Griselda leads Bloom away from the casket and through the wet snow to Alfea. Upon their arrival, students and teachers alike race out to greet the two. Teachers embrace Bloom and assure her that she is making the right decision. Bloom is unsure, but her grief is too strong for her to care. All she wants is for the person in the casket, which is probably being buried now, to come back to life. With mournful thank-you's, Bloom enters the grand school and slowly walks the long walk to the headmistress's office. When she gets to the door, she presses her hands against the door and cries as she pushes it open. The room is cold and dark, so different from when the deceased occupied it only days before.

Bloom turns on the lights and looks around. All of Headmistress Faragonda's belongings are still in the office, but she knows they will soon be removed and given to her family. Silently, Bloom sits down at the desk and stares at the computer screen and the unfinished paperwork. _And yet somehow she always made time for us, for me_. Bloom brushes her hair out of her tear-stained face. There is a small knock on the golden doors, and a young freshman enters looking disheveled and sad. Bloom rises and approaches the young fairy. They embrace each other, and Bloom lets the fairy weep. When they pull back from the hug, the two smile encouragingly to each other. How could this little freshman do so much for Bloom without uttering a word? Then the student thanks Bloom and leaves the office.

Alone again, Bloom begins her work as the new headmistress of Alfea. Before long, tasks are piling up faster than Bloom is able to keep up with, and Griselda comes to help Bloom. By the end of the day, the work is done, but there is still a gaping hole in all of Alfea. Then Griselda leads the way to the headmistress's apartment, where Bloom will be living from now until she hands the position off to someone else. The apartment is empty and bare, save for basic furniture and utilities; the family must have already gotten the items here earlier in the day.

"Headmistress," Griselda starts.

"Do not call me that, Griselda. I am, and always be, Bloom."

"Bloom, if you need to talk to someone or need help, I and many others are here for you. It may be now, or it may be ten years from now, but our doors are always open."

"Thank you, Griselda." Then Griselda leaves the apartment. Bloom stands in the doorway and takes it all in. It is a rather large and spacious apartment overlooking Alfea courtyard. The walls are the same shade of purple as Ms. Faragonda's gloves always were, and there is a kitchen directly behind the foyer. To Bloom's left, is a white double door that, after looking behind it, leads to the master bedroom and the master bathroom. To the right of the foyer, is the guest bedroom and bathroom, and there is another half bathroom just off the kitchen. Also off the kitchen is a small dining area. There is also a visiting area in the foyer.

So this is where she will be living? What about she and Sky after they get married? He is a king after all. Surely the queen cannot live on a separate planet as the king, and it is basically goes without saying that a king needs to live on the same planet as the one he rules. Bloom sighs, she will cross the bridge when she gets there; right now she needs to focus on the present moment.

She glances at the clock on the wall, the one item that was not furniture that the family left, and notices it is almost time for dinner. Bloom goes into her new bedroom and sees the bags of clothes Lockette must have brought up earlier. Bloom changes out of her funeral dress and puts on a more professional-looking black suit. Next, she ties her hair back into a low bun and starts on her way to the dining hall. Something does not feel quite right. Still, this is her new job, and part of that job is welcoming students and teachers to meals.

The last student comes running to the dining hall doors, and Bloom smiling sweetly and welcomes her. They enter together, and Bloom takes her place at the teachers' table, where she gives a quick welcome to dinner and honors the late Ms. Faragonda. She gives some quick announcements then sits down. Griselda takes Bloom's hand and tells her good job and that it will get easier with practice. Bloom thanks her as the food is brought out.

After dinner, Bloom returns to her new apartment and takes a long shower. The water feels nice on her skin, and it seems to wash away the day's hurt. Once she finishes, she changes into her nightclothes and prepares a cup of tea. Now is the one time she needs to talk to Ms. Faragonda, but Bloom knows she cannot talk to the deceased about her death. Bloom starts to feel a lump form in her throat. Suddenly, Lockette flies into the apartment. Lockette gives her bonded fairy a great pixie hug and asks if Bloom wants to talk.

 _Yes, I do._ "No, Lockette. I think I am okay. But thank you for asking." The two talk for a long time, until Lockette starts falling asleep. Bloom smiles as her bonded pixie starts dozing off. Carefully and tenderly, Bloom scoops up her friend and takes her to the little pixie bed she made for Lockette years ago. Lockette falls into a deep sleep before her head is even on the pillow. Bloom, unable to bring herself to sleep in the same bed Ms. Faragonda once slept in, grabs a blanket and pillow from one of her boxes and curls up on the couch. As she falls asleep, Bloom hopes that the next morning Ms. Faragonda will be there, but that sliver of hope is dashed by the reality that hits her before she is fully asleep.

The next morning, Bloom is awake before her alarm, but she only stares at the ceiling for a good fifteen minutes. Then she forces herself to get up and get ready. She has the whole week to get through, and she refuses to start today like this. First, Bloom washes her face and brushes her teeth. Next, she brushes her knee-length red hair and pulls it back into a french twist before securing it with a black clip, followed by doing her makeup. After that, she gets dressed in another black suit and is ready just in time to greet the students and teachers for breakfast.

After breakfast, Bloom goes to her new office to work on paperwork. Man, how she wishes she could find a letter or something from Ms. Faragonda, but alas, that only happens in books and movies, never in real life. Bloom sighs and rests her head on the desk. How does anybody expect anybody to function? Heck, Ms. Faragonda just died all of a sudden, and everyone is expected to carry on as if nothing has changed. Ms. Faragonda was so dear to Bloom. How could anybody expect her to just get over it in an instant? Bloom's watch goes off. She had better run if she is going to make it to her class on time.

"Class, your homework for tomorrow is look up the history of your powers. I suggest asking family and elders from your home planets if possible," Bloom calls as the class exits in a rush out the door. Bloom erases the board by hand. _It will take longer_ , she tells herself.

Back in the headmistress's office, Bloom finishes up sorting the paperwork when Palladium comes in. Bloom smiles; he is the one professor she loved almost as much as Ms. Faragonda.

"Headmistress Bloom, I -"

"Please, Professor Palladium, call me Bloom. I am not sure I am ready to hear my name with the word headmistress yet."

"Bloom, I came to check on you. You seem to be taking this a lot harder than the rest of us."

 _Thank you for noticing, Professor. It means a lot to me. I wish I could tell you everything I am feeling,_ "Thank you, Professor, for checking on me. I greatly appreciate it, but I can manage on my own." Then Bloom sends the professor out. She drops her head on the desk with a dull thud. _What am I doing? I keep pushing others away when they offer me the one thing I need- help. I have never been like this before. Why do I feel so obligated to don a brave face? Is this how Ms. Faragonda felt?_

The rest of the day rolls by in an utter blur. Bloom does not remember much of it by the time she retires to her apartment for the night. She remembers coming back, showering, making tea, and talking with Lockette, or was that the night before? She no longer knows what was today what was the day before. Time itself has begun to mix together.

The rest of the week plays out in the same manner until Friday rolls around. After classes, Bloom disappears into her apartment and unpacks. But instead of claiming the master bedroom as hers, Bloom claims the guest bedroom and locks the master bedroom. Bloom changes nothing about the apartment and only adds her belongings to the things already in place. As she sits in the living area, Bloom wonders if Ms. Faragonda made her bed the day the day she died, if she knew what would happen the next day when she went to bed the night before, if she ever had music playing her apartment. All these questions and more cross Bloom's mind, and that is really when Bloom takes a good look around and notices that somehow the colors seem less bright and vibrant. After she finishes unpacking, Bloom collapses on the couch, exhausted. One short nap never hurt.

A loud knocking wakes Bloom up, and Bloom rushes to answer the door. It is Griselda.

"Thank heavens you are alright! When you did not come for dinner, we were all very worried you had done something rash and drastic." Griselda looks as if her nerves are shot.

"I apologize, Griselda. I must have fallen asleep after unpacking all my belongings," Bloom explains apologetically.

"Ms. Faragonda did the same thing too her first Friday on the job."

"Good to know."

"Bloom, the teachers and I have discussed this, and we believe that you would benefit from some time off and potentially seeing someone when you return."

"Why?"

"Bloom, we have all noticed how you barely interact with anybody and how you push us away when we try to help you."

"Griselda, I am fine. I am just trying to catch up on all the work Ms. Faragonda left behind." Bloom pauses. "Again, I am sorry for missing dinner and scaring you all. Now, goodnight, Griselda."

The next morning, Bloom remembers her meeting with Headmaster Saladin and Headmistress Griffin, so she races to prepare for that. She ends up wearing a navy blouse with a black skirt and matching blazer, black low heels, and a french braided bun. Then she races off to her new office.

"Headmistress Bloom, I and the rest of Red Fountain send our condolences. It is such a shame Faragonda died so suddenly."

"Thank you, Headmaster Saladin. It means much to everyone here at Alfea."

"And, Headmistress, Cloud Tower sends their condolences as well."

"Thank you, Headmistress Griffin."

The three have a rather long meeting and discuss how things will be run between the three schools now. After the meeting, Bloom lingers in her office. It is lunch time, but she is not hungry, despite the fact she missed breakfast. Still, she needs to be there to greet the others.

On her way over to the dining hall, Bloom thinks about Ms. Faragonda's death; she replays how she found her that morning over and over in her mind. Ms. Faragonda was so sweet and loving. She seemed as if she was in perfect health too. Then all of a sudden after breakfast one morning, she died. The coroner said it was caused by old age, but it could not have been old age. Bloom stops dead in her tracks.

"It was murder!"

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Thus ends Chapter 1. I hope you all enjoyed it, even though it was sad and dragged on a bit. Anyways, I hope to have the next chapter posted pretty soon, so don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I love you all so much, and thank you for reading! Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

Happy New Year, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 2. So in case you all have not guessed by the first chapter, this is not a happy story (at least, the beginning is not happy). If you are looking for a story about love being the ultimate key to happiness, kindly hit the back button until you find yourself looking at a list of other _Winx Club_ fanfictions. You've been informed. That's all I've got, so here's Chapter 2; the POV is still 3rd Person.

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, RAI Fiction, and Rainbow.

 **Trigger Warning: Suicidal thoughts mentioned. I will alert you before and after each potential trigger.**

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Sunday morning- a week since the funeral- Bloom crawls out of bed and stares at herself in the mirror for a while. _Look at me. I am a total wreck, and yet they put me in charge of a school._ She stares blankly into her reflection. _My stars, I am in charge of a school. Who am I kidding? I will never be in charge of the school, no matter what my title is._ Bloom peels herself away from the mirror. She has meetings today that she is not allowed to miss, so she gets ready for the day.

A black dress, a braided headband, and a cup of tea later, Bloom is greeting the students and teachers at the door to the dining hall. Everyone still seems down about Ms. Faragonda's death, and Bloom suddenly realizes how selfish she has been. _I feel awful. Here I am moping around between my office and my apartment, and I have barely said a word of kindness or encouragement to the others._ Bloom makes her way to the teachers' table. Once she is at her seat but before she sits down, she asks for everyone's attention.

"Friends, I am sorry for failing you as a friend, teacher, colleague, and mentor. I have kept myself cooped up in my own problems, and I have failed to be there for you all. I apologize with all my being and all my powers. If you, any of you- yes, my friends at the teachers' table, you too- need to talk or just need a shoulder to cry on or a smile, I am here for you." Bloom sits down in her chair, and Griselda smiles to Bloom.

"Very well done, Bloom. I say you will be quite the headmistress."

"In due time, Griselda. In due time."

After breakfast, Bloom stops to speak with several students. They all seem truly heartbroken over Ms. Faragonda's death, so Bloom offers hugs and encouraging words. Then she departs to her office to attend a meeting.

Bloom stands to greet the mourning couple and their children. The mother hugs Bloom and weeps while her husband simply shakes hands with Bloom. The two children hug Bloom too. Bloom pats their heads and consoles them. Once they let go, Bloom tells the family to have a seat.

"I really am sorry for your loss. Ms. Faragonda was such a wonderful friend. I can only imagine how hard this is for you all," Bloom says empathetically. The mother of the family breaks down crying.

"I just really miss her. My mom was such a good person; she was always smiling and looking out for everyone, even the smallest ones." Bloom places a hand on the mother's shoulder. "Thank you, Headmis-" she starts crying even harder.

"Please, just call me Bloom."

"Thank you, Bloom." The youngest girl gets out of her chair and hugs her mother. Looking at the girl, Bloom notices how much she looks like young Ms. Faragonda. Bloom waves her hand, and a box of tissues appears on the desk. "Thank you. And thank you too, Athenia," the mother says to the little girl hugging her.

The family and Bloom meet for a while longer, but it is soon time for the family to leave. After they leave, Bloom sits at her desk a while longer and thinks about the little girl Athenia. She looks so much like her grandmother. Could she be the key to Bloom finding closure?

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door, and a group of freshman poke their heads in.

"Headmistress Bloom, can- can we talk?" Bloom clears her desk to show that they have her full attention.

"Of course, my friends. What can I do to help?" Bloom motions to the girls to have a seat, and she listens keenly to them. They talk about how Ms. Faragonda's death has affected them and made them feel. Bloom tries her best to support the girls. Soon almost all the girls have gone back to their rooms, all except one.

 **Trigger Warning: Suicidal thoughts mentioned here. Skip to next bold to avoid.**

"Headmistress Bloom, may- may I tell you something?" the girl asks meekly. Bloom takes her hand.

"Of course, North. Are you alright?"

"Not really, Headmistress Bloom." North pauses. "Headmistress, I have been having some thoughts since Headmistress Faragonda died, and, to be honest, these thoughts are scaring me." Bloom asks what kind of thoughts, though she already has an idea. "Thoughts that make me want to untransform in mid-air or cast an attack spell wrong." Bloom nods; she figured this would happen, but now she has no idea how to handle it. "Headmistress, please do not tell anyone. If the other girls knew, they would never leave me alone, not even to use the bathroom or sleep."

"Do not fear, North. I promise not to tell the others, but, North, I will need to tell your parents and the school counselor. I know and understand you may not want this, but I am required by Magix law to do so." North droops in shame and disappointment. "North," North looks up. "Thank you for telling me. I hope I can help you get better," Bloom says. As North leaves the office, Bloom sits back down at her desk and pages Griselda. "What have I gotten myself into?" Bloom asks herself.

Griselda enters the office and gives Bloom a look of sympathy. Bloom then asks Griselda to get the school counselor; Griselda replies that the the headmistress is typically the counselor. Bloom drops her head onto the desk and again asks herself what she has gotten herself into. Griselda offers encouragement, but there is not much else she can do. When Bloom finally picks her head up, she asks Griselda to please ask North's parents to have a meeting with Bloom. Griselda nods and steps out.

Alone, Bloom starts pacing around the room, a habit she picked up from the late Ms. Faragonda. _What have I done? What was I thinking, accepting the responsibility of being the headmistress? Griselda would have been a much better headmistress. Heck, the freshmen would be better at this job than me._ Bloom stops thinking those thoughts as soon as she notices she is thinking them. It no longer matters who would be the better headmistress because what is done is done; she, Bloom, is the headmistress while Griselda is still the assistant headmistress.

Shortly thereafter, Griselda reenters and tells Bloom that North's parents are available to meet that coming Thursday. Bloom nods and makes a note in her calendar.

 **If you skipped the previous section due to the trigger warning, please continue reading here.**

Bloom leaves breakfast in a rush. Thankfully, her class is not until later this morning, so that gives her plenty of time to get to this meeting and back, she hopes.

The bus stops, and Bloom practically flies out the doors. Magix is so huge and busy; it is a good thing she knows where she is going. As Bloom races through the busy streets of Magix, she is amazed how the others around her are oblivious to Ms. Faragonda's death while she carries the weight of it on her shoulders. Then Bloom looks up. She has arrived at the building.

Inside, Bloom calmly walks over to the front desk and says she has a meeting with the chief of police. After getting checked in, she sits down in a chair and waits. About twenty minutes later, Bloom is called back into the chief's office. Once in there, Bloom shakes hands with the chief and sits down in a chair. On the other side of the desk, in a uniform, is Tecna, but Bloom knows this is not the same girl she battled villains with a decade ago, none of the girls are.

"Headmistress Bloom, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Tecna asks.

"I have a theory, Chief, that the late Headmistress Faragonda was murdered." Tecna sighs and shifts in her chair.

"And what evidence do you have to back this claim?"

Bloom, sighing defeatedly, replies, "Nothing substantial. Just that she was in excellent health and then died all of a sudden." Tecna shakes her head.

"I apologize, Headmistress Bloom, but that is not enough to even consider a possible murder case. Now good day, Headmistress." Tecna has her assistant escort Bloom out of the office. Silently, Bloom leaves and returns to Alfea. _But she was murdered. I just know it._

As Bloom drifts off to sleep that night, she wonders what she can do to prove that Ms. Faragonda had been murdered. There has to be something she can use. There is no way that Ms. Faragonda died of natural causes. There is absolutely no way. Ms. Faragonda would not have given up on life in the middle of the year.

Sleep overcomes Bloom, and she slowly descends into a deep sleep. When she enters REM, she dreams crazy things and imagines that Ms. Faragonda is a vengeful spirit.

However, when Bloom wakes up sweating, panting, and in darkness, she knows it was all just a dream, that Ms. Faragonda is dead but hopefully resting in peace. Hopefully.

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So this chapter was a little shorter than the previous one, but I hope you all enjoyed it still the same. Let me know what you all think of the story and if you think Ms. Faragonda was murdered or not. Thank you all so much for reading; I love you all! Don't forget to show your support of the story by following, favoriting, and reviewing!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 3! Hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

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Bloom stares at herself in the blackness of the powered off computer screen. _Spirits do not exist unless you want them to._ She reminds herself. _Ms. Faragonda is at peace, so why am I not?_ Then the clock strikes four; the week is officially over for Bloom. She rises and leaves her office, locking the door with a click. Next, she goes for a walk to Ms. Faragonda's grave.

The walk is deserted, not that Bloom is surprised. No one really wants to be outside right now. They would all rather be in their rooms mourning and grieving in their own ways. Then an idea strikes Bloom. She should call Stella. Stella was her best friend out of all the Winx, and right now she needs a friend more than anything else. Bloom pulls out her phone and calls Stella. It goes to voicemail. Bloom tries again several more times until finally a very angry Stella answers.

"What do you want, Bloom?! If this is about Faragonda, I do NOT want to hear it!" Bloom holds the phone away from her ear, and she can still hear Stella yelling at her. "The old hag is better off dead, and you know it! Now leave me to rule Solaria in peace!" Stella hangs up the phone; Bloom listens to the dial tone for a long while. Then she too hangs up the phone and shoves it back in her pocket. She feels numb, yet rage is boiling up inside of her. She takes off running to Ms. Faragonda's grave. When she gets there, she slows to a walk and stares at the headstone.

"I hate you for leaving me! You were the one person who really cared about me! When I accepted your offer to become headmistress, I did not realize what you meant! If I had known you would die only weeks later and leave me to pick up where you left off, I never would have accepted!" Bloom breaks down sobbing and yelling. "Now the girls want nothing to do with me!" She lowers her voice to a hoarse whisper. "What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to run a school?" Bloom kneels down in front of the headstone. "I need you."

Bloom stays for a long while longer and sobs. She does not want to go back to Alfea and be brave for the others. She does not want to go on hiding her feelings. And she cannot continue to live, not like this. Yet, she must. She must brave the world and be strong for the others.

A pair of hands take Bloom by the shoulders and stand her up.

"It is time to back inside, Bloom," a voice whispers. Bloom shakes her head, still sobbing. "Bloom, please, for the students." Bloom starts walking slowly back towards the pink college, and the hands guide her. However, when Bloom is inside, no one is there. She shrugs it off and goes to her apartment to clean up; there is still time before dinner starts.

At dinner, Bloom does not say a word after she sits down, nor does she utter a sound during the whole evening. The teachers around her try to act normal, but each one is deeply concerned by the new headmistress's change in demeanor. However, they know better than to address it at the dinner table. No, they will discuss it later.

After dinner, Bloom escapes upstairs to her apartment while the teachers and staff congregate in Professor Wizgiz's classroom to discuss Bloom's change in demeanor. In her apartment, Bloom showers and goes straight to bed. She will need to think about what has happened in her life and form a plan to prove to Tecna that Ms. Faragonda was in fact murdered. Bloom drifts off to sleep and wonders why she ever agreed to this.

Bloom wakes up completely unable to move. It is not because she physically cannot; it is because she simply has neither the will nor the energy to do so. _Great, I cannot even get myself out of bed._ Bloom starts sobbing. _I am a failure of a headmistress. Why did Ms. Faragonda ever choose me to lead Alfea?_ Suddenly, Bloom's phone rings. At first she does not want to answer it, but when the caller ID says it is Daphne, Bloom somehow musters up the energy and will to pick it up off the table and answer it.

"Bloom, I heard from the teachers at Alfea last night. I am coming to stay with you for a while." Daphne leaves no room for Bloom to object. _Shoot. Now my sister is coming, and she is supposed to be ruling Domino._ Bloom starts crying all over again.

Daphne knocks on the door to Bloom's apartment, and when she does not get a response, she opens the door and walks in. She finds the door to the master bedroom locked, so she checks the guest room. Sure enough, Bloom is lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling. Daphne walks casually over to Bloom's bed and sits down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Daphne asks.

"Why are you here?" Bloom says in reply.

"I am here because everyone else is worried about you." Bloom scoffs and replies that the others have no need to worry about her, that they have better things to do. "Bloom, I know you think you are fooling everybody, but you are really not." Bloom tries to protest, but she realizes she is not going to win this fight.

"Make yourself comfortable, sister. You are going to be here a while."

A while later, Bloom and Daphne are in Bloom's office; Daphne miraculously managed to get Bloom dressed and out of bed not long before. They are currently searching for something that could help Bloom prove her theory to Tecna. Daphne, like Tecna, is not sure Bloom's theory is correct, but Daphne is only helping Bloom in hopes that it will make Bloom better. As of now, they have nothing, but Bloom refuses to be persuaded that Ms. Faragonda had not been murdered.

"Bloom, sister, have you considered the possibility that maybe Ms. Faragonda died of natural causes?" Bloom spins around angrily.

"She did not. She lived over a hundred years in near perfect health only to die suddenly one morning. How is that natural causes?"

"Bloom, Ms. Faragonda was a Nymph of Magix; naturally her life span would have been extended, but when a Nymph's life is over, she dies suddenly and without warning. I should know, being a Nymph myself." Bloom huffs at her sister's words. She still does not believe that Ms. Faragonda died of natural causes.

About an hour later, Bloom exclaims happily; she has found something. It is a piece of paper with the words: "Meeting with Ryan" scribbled on it in Ms. Fargonda's handwriting; the words are written inside of a square, as if they were once written in a calendar. But who is Ryan, and was Ms. Faragonda going to meet with him? When was this date set? A myriad of questions cross Bloom's mind, but first she has to figure out what date this meeting was set for in order to figure out if Ms. Faragonda ever made it to the meeting.

Bloom calls Daphne over, and Daphne takes a look at the torn piece of paper. She deems it worth looking into, but says that is is not enough to convince Tecna to start an investigation. Bloom nods and keeps looking.

By the end of their search, Bloom has found the torn paper, a news article saved on Ms. Faragonda's computer, and several emails. Yet all of these combined are not enough evidence to convince Tecna to open a case. Defeated, Bloom returns to her apartment with her older sister shortly behind her. Neither one says a word on their way.

Back in the apartment, Bloom asks Daphne who else is a Nymph of Magix.

"Well, the position is hereditary, so Ms. Faragonda's daughter is now a Nymph. That is one, plus me, Ms. Griselda, Politea, and five others whom no one has seen for years." Bloom nods. _How is Griselda a Nymph? That cannot be right._ Then Bloom asks how the position is hereditary, so Daphne explains. "I inherited the position from Mother's mother, Ms. Faragonda's daughter from her mother, Ms. Griselda from her great aunt, and Politea from her sister. I do not know how the other five got the position, happens is that a Nymph, upon assuming the position, chooses an heir out of all the women younger than she in her family; you, Bloom, are my heir until either of us has a daughter." Bloom nods again. She still cannot believe that Griselda is a Nymph.

At the end of the day, Bloom takes a quick shower and sets up her bed on the couch; she figures her guest should at least get the one bed accessible. Then she slides under the blanket and stares up at the ceiling for a while. _Do not worry, Headmistress Faragonda, I will prove to Tecna that you were murdered, and justice will be served._ Bloom swallows. _I swear it, even if it is the last task I ever do._

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That's the end of the chapter, Butterflies! I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for reading! I love you all! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 4! I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

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Bloom darts off the couch and races into her bathroom to get ready for the day. All she has to do is find more evidence, and then she can finally convince Tecna that Ms. Faragonda was murdered. Bloom is dressed, ready for the day, and out the door long before Daphne wakes up. Bloom simply cannot wait to keep searching and let justice prevail. However, after only a couple of hours searching, it is time for Bloom to wake her sister Daphne up. Bloom apologizes to Ms. Faragonda's spirit before leaving to go do her job. After breakfast, Bloom returns to the office to continue her search. She eventually finds an email Ms. Faragonda had sent her daughter only two days before she died. It reads:

 _Dearest and beloved daughter,_

 _I have loved you since time itself began, if not before. You mean more to me than the entire Magic Dimension combined. That is why, Claudia, I am forced to tell you this. Claudia, my days are winding down, and I will not live much longer. You will become the next Nymph of Magix in our family. I know the task seems daunting and scary, but I assure you, you will be a great Nymph. Claudia, I hate to tell you this over email, but no one can find you, nor are you answering calls. But I do not blame you for doing so. Telling you about your father was one of the hardest days of my life, and I never meant to hurt you. I hope you can find a place in your heart of hearts to forgive me. I love you with all my heart, darling Claudia._

 _Love,_

 _Your mother Faragonda_

Bloom looks at the conversation for a reply, but she finds none. _So she never responded to her mother's email._ Bloom pauses to think for a moment. _And she was not at the funeral either._ A thought crosses Bloom's mind, a thought she would never have considered: Ms. Faragonda's daughter might have murdered her own mother. But why? _Simple, she wanted the position of Nymph of Magix._ Bloom smiles, If this does not convince Tecna, nothing will.

The door to the office opens, so Bloom looks up.

"Good morning, Griselda."

"Good morning, Bloom. What, if I may ask, are you doing in your office this early in the morning on a Sunday?" Bloom looks at the clock on her computer. It reads 7:00 am.

"Oh, sorry. I am just doing some work. Trying to get caught up and all. you know how this is." Griselda nods.

"Do not forget, Bloom, that North's parents arrive on Wednesday."

"I will not forget. I promise." Then Griselda leaves. Bloom hopes she did not wake the assistant headmistress. Oh well. Now that she is awake, there is nothing Bloom can do.

A few hours later, at around ten, Bloom leaves her office to go welcome everyone to breakfast. On her way down the stairs, Bloom notices that this has begun to feel more like a chore than a joy. Perhaps it is just her grief talking, or perhaps this is how Ms. Faragonda had felt.

At breakfast, Bloom introduces her sister to the students, and everyone welcomes her warmly. At least the students seem to taking Ms. Faragonda's death well. Bloom sits through breakfast nearly completely silent. She has a lot on her mind, and she just needs some time to sort through everything. Daphne tries once or twice to get her sister to talk, but to no avail. She wonders what her dearest younger sister is thinking. She supposes that she will never know Bloom's unshared thoughts.

After breakfast, Bloom heads back up to her office, and Daphne follows shortly behind her. When Bloom shows Daphne the email she found, Daphne seems intrigued.

"I knew all of this, of course, but the fact that you have in writing from Ms. Faragonda herself confirming this is amazing. All the Nymphs knew that Ms. Faragonda had a daughter out of wedlock and that her daughter left after she found out about her father, but we had only heard rumors that the two were not speaking."

"Daphne, do you not understand? If Ms. Faragonda's daughter never replied, how do we know she even saw the email? How do we know that the family I met with is not a bunch of imposters?" Daphne shakes her head at her younger sister; even in her thirties she still jumps to conclusions about everything.

"Next time you see her, cast this spell," Daphne explains as she throws a spell up in the air. When it disperses and showers down, the sparkles around Daphne turn orange but remain white around Bloom. "Just make sure you are in private. Not everyone needs to know the identity of the newest Nymph of Magix." Bloom nods, and Daphne starts to leave the office.

"One last thing, dearest sister." Daphne turns around to face her red-headed sister. "You said I am your heir until one of us has a daughter. Why would I not remain your heir?"

"Because chances are that I will outlive you. Therefore, I need an heir at least a generation younger than I am. Typically, the heir is a granddaughter or great-niece, but that's not a rule, hence the fact that Claudia was Ms. Faragonda's heir." Bloom nods, but she secretly wonders how old Ms. Faragonda was when she had Claudia. "I had better go unpack. Do you want to go grab a cup of coffee later?"

"Yeah, sure," Bloom replies. Daphne hugs her sister, and Bloom hugs her back.

"I love you, Bloom."

"I love you too, Daphne." Then Daphne leaves, so Bloom sits down at her desk and drafts an email to Tecna. Within minutes of sending the email, she receives a reply. The two set up a meeting for the coming Wednesday. Bloom makes a note in her calendar and leaves. She still has time before she and Daphne are going to the city, so she decides to go visit Ms. Faragonda's grave.

When she arrives at the grave, she notices a hunched over figure dressed in all black leaving; there is a bouquet of roses, lilies, and rosemary on the headstone. Bloom kneels down in front of the headstone and gently moves the bouquet to the side.

"I- I just wanted to say I am sorry, Ms. Faragonda for the other day. I should not have lost my temper with you. It is not your fault someone murdered you." Then Bloom stands, replaces the bouquet, and walks away. A weight seems to have been lifted off Bloom's shoulders. But who is the figure, and why did he or she leave the bouquet? Bloom brushes this new worry away. She has other things to think about.

Daphne meets Bloom in Alfea courtyard, and the two board the bus to town. The drive takes a while, so the two sister talk for most of it. Bloom has begun to feel better, she realizes, since her sister arrived, but now she wonders who will help her if Daphne dies before she does. Bloom shakes her head. _No, that is nonsense. Daphne will definitely outlive me._ Daphne notices that her sister has gone silent, and her eyes are staring blankly into space. Daphne smiles and casts a quick spell as discretely as possible on Bloom.

"I hope this helps you more than hurts you, dear sister," she whispers almost inaudibly.

The two sisters get off the bus at their stop and walk into the local coffee shop. After they have their coffee, they sit down at a table. They talk some more, until Bloom spies a familiar face.

"Is that Musa?" Bloom asks nobody in particular. She looks again. "That has to be Musa, but I thought she returned to Melody after the funeral." Daphne shrugs.

"I guess she is back." Bloom hurries over to Musa to say hello. At first Musa greets Bloom rather coldly, but soon Musa is Omega Dimension cold towards her once good friend. Bloom seems a little hurt by this, but she conceals her pain until she walks away. As she walks back to the table, Bloom wonders what went wrong within the Winx that causes them to treat each other this way now. All she knows is that it was probably something that happened between their boyfriends because the Winx would never have split up otherwise.

Bloom and Daphne talk about how things have been on Domino since Daphne was crowned queen. Not much has changed other than the fact that the queen is also the resident Nymph of Magix for the first time in history. When Bloom gives Daphne a confused look, Daphne explains that their mother's family had been the Nymphs and that their father's family had been the royal family. Since the royals and the current Nymph of Magix worked so closely together, it made sense when Oritel and Miriam fell in love. Bloom nods and asks how Thoren is. Daphne glances downward.

"Not that well. He really wants an heir to the throne, but we have not had any luck so far, and I really need someone to call my heir to the Nymph of magix position."

"Oh, Daphne, I am so sorry. I promise that as soon as Sky and I get married, we will try to have a daughter." Daphne nods but tells Bloom not to rush into anything.

"Oh, Bloom, I forgot to ask. How are you feeling?"

* * *

So that is the end of the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! I will have Chapter 5 up soon!

Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I love you all! Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, Butterflies! I have with me Chapter 5, and I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

* * *

 _Today is the day. Today is the day I prove to Tecna I was right. But then, why do I feel so strange?_ Bloom's first thoughts scare her, but she assumes that they are just nerves talking. Silently, she gets dressed and ready for the day. Then she makes some tea and heads down to her office to think.

In her office, Bloom stares at the stacks of paper on her desk. Somehow, she is still very behind in work. She supposes that she had better use this time before breakfast to start catching up. She picks up a piece of paper and reads over it. Does the electric bill really cost that much? Apparently it does. Bloom sighs and pushes the paper off to the side. She will get to it later. A heaviness fills Bloom, so she props her elbows up on the desk with her hands holding her forehead. _What is wrong with me?_ Bloom feels that she has to cry or talk to someone, but there is nobody she can turn to. The other former Winx want nothing to do with her, and she simply cannot bring herself to burden the others. No, she must bear this pain alone. The heaviness moves deeper into Bloom, enclosing itself deep within her, thus making it impossible to get out. A heaviness so indescribably painful has settled in, and it has no intention of leaving.

Hours later, Bloom boards the bus to Magix City. She rides in silence, her bag full of documents and such, like bricks over her shoulder. Throughout the ride, she watches the other people, wondering if any of them too are struggling the same way she is.

At the police station, Tecna greets her once friend rather coldly; it is her only defense against breaking down from the sad news she received earlier that morning. This time, however, Bloom treats Tecna just as coldly. The two living ice blocks go over the evidence Bloom has gathered before Tecna makes her decision. She excuses herself to consult with her assistant and second in command. She returns a few agonizing minutes later with the decision. Oddly, though, Bloom's nerves are calm, as if they are hibernating for the winter.

"Headmistress Bloom, based on the evidence you have provided, we will look further into the circumstances of the late Headmistress Faragonda's death, though we cannot guarantee a full blown investigation. Thank you for your time." Bloom rises to shake hands with Tecna.

"Thank you, Chief." Then Bloom leaves, oblivious to the fact that the same deep heaviness is also within Tecna. Silently, Bloom boards the bus back to Alfea. Snow falls outside the entire ride back.

In her office, Bloom stares blankly at the computer screen. North's parents will arrive at any minute now, but she still has no idea how to tell them that their daughter, the Fairy of Winds, is having suicidal thoughts. Bloom wonders if it is even her place to tell North's parents about their daughter, or if it is truly North's decision to do so. Bloom shakes the thought from her head. No, it is her place; Headmistress Faragonda was certain to tell her that. Or was she? Most of the late headmistress's teachings are gone from Bloom's memory now, and it irks poor Bloom endlessly. _I wish I had taken notes or something. I am so stupid._ A knock at the door interrupts the headmistress's thoughts. Bloom looks up to see Griselda standing in the doorway.

"Bloom, North's parents just called. They cannot make it here due to weather conditions on North's home planet." Bloom nods, pulls out her calendar and a pencil, and scratches out the meeting with North's parents.

"Thank you, Griselda." The assistance headmistress leaves the office, and Bloom is once again alone. Hopelessly, Bloom glances at her calendar and notices that Winter Break is only two weeks away and that her wedding is 19 days away. How, she wonders, can she get married at a time like this? Oh, how she had hoped that Headmistress Faragonda and her own parents were going to be at her wedding. Alas, her parents died three years ago, and now Headmistress Faragonda is dead. The more Bloom thinks about her upcoming wedding, the more she realizes how much her life has fallen apart: her parents and Headmistress Faragonda are dead, her former friends want nothing to do with her, and she will have to choose between Alfea and Eraklyon. Bloom bangs her head on her desk.

"Dang it! Why is my life falling apart?! This was supposed to be the happiest year of my life! What is the name of the Great Dragon happened?!" At this moment, Bloom desperately needs to cry, but the heaviness is embedded so deep within her, that she simply cannot. "Maybe North was on to something," she mutters brokenheartedly. _No, I cannot do that. What would the others think? How would they handle my death so soon after Ms. Faragonda's?_

Bloom snaps out of those thoughts, for she hears a knock at the door. North walks into the office and asks if Bloom has a minute. Naturally, Bloom says yes, though she has inkling that before too long, she will be saying no everytime she sees North. North shuts the door and sits herself down in the chair across from Bloom. Then she proceeds to tell Bloom all about her problems, how she and her roommates cannot get along, how she is failing classes, and how she is certain her parents are neglecting her. Looking at North, Bloom sighs and gives advice, but to every word the headmistress says, North counters and rejects. After forty-five minutes, North leaves the office; Bloom's shoulders drop, and she feels that all her energy is gone. Why does she get the feeling this will be a reoccurring event?

Bloom leans back in her chair and rests her eyes for a moment. She wonders if Ms. Faragonda ever felt this way after her sessions with Bloom. Instant regret fills Bloom; now she wishes she had not come to Ms. Faragonda with her problems so much. But how Ms. Faragonda never told anyone how those sessions made her feel bewilders Bloom.

Bloom finds herself outside on the path to Ms. Faragonda's grave. She has no idea how she got there, but assumes that she walked there subconsciously. It would not be the first time she has gone anywhere without thinking. Bloom looks up from her feet to see the same figure at Ms. Faragonda's grave. He or she sees Bloom and turns to leave.

"Wait!" Bloom calls out, and surprisingly, the figure stops. Bloom hurries to catch up to him or her. "Who are you?" she asks, and figure pulls back the hood to his or her cloak.

"My name is Ryan," he whispers. Like young Ms. Faragonda, Ryan has dark brown eyes and honey-blonde colored hair. Ryan glances down at the gravestone. "I was her boyfriend." Bloom peers at Ryan in utter shock.

"Please tell me you are kidding. You are so young, and she was over a hundred years old." Ryan shakes his head.

"She and I had been together for many years."

"That makes you Claudia's father?"

"Yes."

"But how?"

"There are procedures that can be done to impregnate a woman after her biological timer is up." Bloom shakes her head confusedly. Suddenly, her phone rings.

"I have to go. Good day, Mr. Ryan."

"You too, Ms. -"

"Bloom."

"Have a good day too, Headmistress Bloom."

As Bloom walks away to answer her phone, she realizes what Ryan just called her. How could he have known she was headmistress? She never told him that. Bloom answers the call; it is Tecna saying that she will be by the following day to begin looking into the circumstances of Ms. Faragonda's death. They hang up, and Bloom heads off to welcome everyone to lunch. Somehow, despite all of the good things that have happened to her so far, she still feels strange. She dismisses it as stress from her job, but she wonders if it is not something different. Something _wonderful_.

Lunch passes by in a blur, and afterwards, Bloom calls Sky. They have not seen each other in a long while, and she misses him. He does not answer his phone, so Bloom leaves him a message. After that, she heads off to teach her class, realizing that she has not done the answer key to the homework. Bloom shakes her head at disappointment in herself. She will just wing it. Then she races to the classroom in heels, probably not her smartest decision.

After class and in her office, Bloom works on catching up on the all the paperwork. There is a knock on the door; it is Flora.

"What kind of flowers do you want for your wedding?" Flora asks. The question catches Bloom off guard. Then Bloom smiles.

"How about dragon lilies?" Flora smiles back to Bloom.

"There is the Bloom I remember."

* * *

So that ends Chapter 5! I hope you all enjoyed it, and let me know what you all think! I love hearing from you all! Anyways, thank you all so much for reading, and I'll have Chapter 6 up soon! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! Love you all! Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 6. Can you all believe that you all are already six chapter in? That just goes over my head. Anyways, I hope you all have enjoyed reading so far. Here's Chapter 6.

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

* * *

After Bloom tells Flora what flowers she want for her wedding (those crystal flowers from Gardenia and blue hydrangeas, she decided), Flora leaves. Bloom takes a look at her calendar.

"Great," she mutters, "Stella and Roxy are coming later today to help me choose a wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. Thank goodness for magic." Then Bloom glances at her watch. Stella and Roxy should be arriving at any moment now. All of a sudden, the two fairies appear in the room, catching Bloom slightly off guard. "I see somebody has been using her Believix," she laughs.

"So, Bloom, what do you want for wedding dress?" Stella asks. Bloom nods and starts explaining. Bloom wants an ivory silk empire style gown that has three-quarter sleeves with an accent belt and embroidery at the the hemline. Stella nods throughout the whole descriptions, trying to imagine the perfect dress on Bloom. When Bloom finishes describing the dress, Stella closes her eyes, waves her hands, and opens her eyes in time to watch Bloom's outfit change into the dress she created. Bloom, who had closed her eyes too, opens hers and gasps. She is wearing the most beautiful dress in the world, and the accent belt matches the color of the hydrangeas Bloom has picked out earlier perfectly. Bloom starts to cry.

"Oh, Stella, it is perfect!" Stella shakes her head.

"Not quite perfect." Next thing Bloom knows, her hair is curled into perfect ringlets, and a veil is pinned to the back of her head. Then Stella gets a fake diadem and places it over Bloom's forehead. "Now, it is perfect." Bloom zaps a mirror into the hair and looks at herself. She loves the way she looks, but it is still hard for her to imagine that her wedding day will be the last time she ever wears a Domino crown. Funny how she always took being the Princess of Domino for granted until now. Noticing that Stella and Roxy are looking at Bloom with concern, Bloom smiles and says that it is time to move onto the bridesmaids dresses. Bloom is unsure of what she wants, so Stella conjures up a few suggestions for Bloom that poor Roxy has to model. Bloom gets an idea of what she does not want for her bridesmaids' dresses pretty quickly.

As Stella holds up her hands to try another dress on Roxy, Bloom stops her. "I think I know what I want, Stella." Bloom describes floor-length dresses that are so light blue they are practically white with baby blue sashes. Stella nods, and she casts a spell. Roxy closes her eyes, expecting a hideous dress, but she is surprised when she sees a lovely one shouldered dress that matches Bloom's descriptions. "Oh, Stella, I love them!" Stella bows jokingly. Bloom laughs, something she has not done in what feels like forever.

"Hey, Stella, any chance you can get me out of this dress?" Roxy calls. Stella laughs and zaps the dress with some of her magic. "Thank you," Roxy smiles. Tears start to well up in Bloom's eyes, and Stella notices this.

"Roxy, would you mind stepping out for a moment?" Roxy leaves the office. "Bloom, what is it?"

"Bloom wipes her eyes. "Nothing. I was just reminded of how different my wedding will be than how I always imagined it." Stella gives Bloom a quick hug.

"I understand. And, Bloom, I am sorry for snapping at you that day on the phone. I did not mean anything I said."

"I forgive you, Stella," The two women hug, and Roxy comes back in. The blonde and the readhead pull apart. "See you in just over two weeks." Stella and Roxy nod, and Roxy transforms into her Believix Zoomix and teleports with Stella out of the office. Bloom glances at her desk and notices the fake diadem Stella left. In a childlike manner, Bloom picks it up and slides it back on. The intricate silver frame holds little pieces of plastic painted to look like gems. Tears well up in her eyes. She will miss Domino, and she will miss the memories she will long to have there. Looking down at the ground, Bloom gets a feeling that she will miss a lot of memories and milestones that take place on Domino.

The door to Bloom's office opens, and in walks North. At that moment, Bloom turns around from facing her desk, still wearing the diadem, and spots North. Quickly, the headmistress pulls off the diadem and sets it on her desk. North stares the headmistress dead in the eye and immediately starts spilling all of her problems to the poor redhead. Multiple times, Bloom tries to advise North, but North continuously rejects her suggestions. A few times, after she has reached her limit, Bloom tries to ask the young fairy to leave, but each time North cuts Bloom off. Finally, after being talked at for at least half an hour, North gets up and leaves in huff, frustrated by the headmistress's lack of ability to use her "mega-powers" to make her situation better. Surely, the Fairy of the Dragon Flame can do anything. Apparently not.

Bloom collapses into her desk chair with a deep sigh after the conversation. How could one girl take away so much energy from her? Glancing at the diadem sitting on her desk, Bloom picks it up and puts it back on. Then she takes a minute to recover, but she is soon doing more paperwork. As sad as it is, paperwork seems to be the only thing that keeps her distracted from the pain she feels. _I hate this so much._ Bloom thinks to herself. _This is not how this was supposed to go, and I cannot seem to get a grip through any of this._ Similar thoughts swirl around in Bloom's head for a while, until she gives up and starts actually crying. Thankfully, she is alone. She has no idea what she would do if anyone else saw her like this.

Outside, in the courtyard, a red ship lands, and an entourage of guards step out. The guards form two parallel lines on either side of the ramp out of the ship. Then a blonde man with sky blue eyes and a long blue cloak steps out. The man races to the entrance to Alfea and up the stairs to Bloom's office. He bursts through the doors to the headmistress's office and warmly greets Bloom. The two embrace each other for a long time and then kiss each other repeatedly.

"Oh, Sky," Bloom whispers.

"Hello, my princess," Sky whispers back. The two lovers kiss each other one more time and pull apart. "I love the crown." Bloom blushes as she pulls it off, trying to explain why she was wearing it. "Have you been crying?" In masked horror, Bloom looks down at her feet. Sky cups her chin in his hand and lifts her head to meet his eyes. "Are you okay? We can move the wedding if necessary."

"No. I am fine. It was just a rough morning, but everything is good now. I got my flowers, dress, and bridesmaids dresses picked out. Is the garden still available?" Sky nods. "I love you."

"I love you too, Bloom." Once again, the two hug, and a few leftover tears fall from Bloom's eyes. When they pull out of the hug, Sky wipes away those tears with his thumb. "I promise you, Bloom, everything will be okay. We will get married and be happy forever."

"I know, Sky. I just worry. How will I choose between my job and my husband?" Sky takes his fiancée's hands and assures her she can do both. "I am being so selfish. How are you?" Bloom stutters. Sky assures Bloom that she is not being selfish and says that he is excited about their wedding. Suddenly, a rush of emotions come over the two, and they pull each other into a long and passionate kiss. Sky's hands reach to Bloom's french twist and pull the pin out, allowing her hair to tumble down. At the same time, Bloom unclasps Sky's cape and tosses it off to the side.

Suddenly, the door to the office opens, and Griselda starts to walk in, with Musa right behind her. They see the lovers kissing and back out of the room. A pang of hurt crosses Musa; she knows she let Riven go years ago, but she still has feelings for him. She wonders how he is, or where he is, for no one has heard anything from him since that time. She hopes he is safe and happy.

Bloom and Sky pull out of the kiss. It is time for Sky to go, and Bloom has a meeting with Musa about the music for the wedding. They tell each other goodbye, and Sky leaves. Griselda and Musa re-enter the office, and Griselda leaves shortly afterwards. Alone, Musa gives Bloom a list of music that she thinks would be good for the wedding based off the information Bloom provided several weeks ago. Bloom listens to all of them and picks her favorites. After that, Musa leaves. Bloom sits down at her desk and puts her head in her hands. Then she realizes she is still wearing the diadem. Oops. Bloom takes it off and puts it on her desk. Then she gets back to her paperwork. Surprisingly, Bloom is able to finish everything that needs to be done by the end of the day.

On her way back to her apartment, Bloom is unable to distract herself from how coldly Musa treated her earlier. Should Musa not be excited, for it is a wedding after all? Bloom shakes her head. _Is she still upset about Riven? That was her decision._ Bloom stops walking at her door. _Does she even know what happened?_

* * *

So that is the end of Chapter 6! What do you all think happened to Riven? Let me know your thoughts! Thank you all so much for reading! I love you all so much! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I'll have Chapter 7 up soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, Butterflies! I am back with Chapter 7! I just wanted to say thank you all so much reading. You all mean so much to me, and I appreciate your views. Now, onto the chapter.

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

* * *

Daphne shakes Bloom awake, much to Bloom's chagrin. Bloom mutters something about it being Saturday and rolls over, but Daphne throws the blanket off her younger sister and pulls off the couch.

"Oh, Bloom, it's wonderful!" Bloom, who is still half asleep, opens one eye and gives her sister a confused look. "I'm pregnant!" This wakes Bloom up in an instant, and the two sisters begin elatedly hugging and getting ready to call everybody they know. Then one of them is smart enough to check the clock; it reads 6:09 in the morning. "Maybe we should wait to call everybody," Daphne decides. Bloom agrees and get ready to go back to sleep on the couch. "Oh no you don't." Daphne pulls Bloom's arm and drags her away from the couch. "We have to go to Domino and tell Thoren." Bloom gives her sister a look.

"We? No, you're mistaken. _You_ have to go to Domino and tell Thoren. I have to stay here and -"

"Mope around and miss Ms. Faragonda. Come on, Bloom, it's only one day. You're going to be an aunt!" Reluctantly, Bloom agrees to go to Domino with her older sister, and the two sisters race to get ready. Before either of them knows it, they are on a shuttle to Domino. They arrive after a few minutes, and they hurry off to the palace.

At the gates of the Domino palace, Bloom stops suddenly. This will be the first time she has returned to the palace since her parents' funeral three years ago. She is not sure she wants to see what has changed since then. Daphne, sensing Bloom's uncertainty, leans over and gives her sister a quick squeeze before urging her inside. Numbly, Bloom walks past the new guards at the gate and into the courtyard. Not much has changed from when she was last here, but all the mourning decorations have been removed, which makes sense. It both saddens and pleases Bloom that Daphne and Thoren have not renovated the palace. She wonders if she will be able to see her old bedroom.

Thoren sees his wife and sister-in-law from across the courtyard. He races to Daphne and hugs her, twirling her in the air as they hug. Bloom gives her brother-in-law an icy glare; she does not care what Daphne says, she still believes that Thoren was after Daphne's crown and kingdom since he knew he could never have the throne of Eraklyon. After all, who marries the sister of the girl who is engaged to his cousin? Someone who is after power and riches, that is who. As the husband and wife let go of each other, Daphne blurts out her exciting new. Thoren smiles joyfully and kisses his wife affectionately. Bloom stares him down the entire time.

The rest of the visit is spent in a similar manner, with Daphne and Thoren acting as lovers and Bloom staring her brother-in-law down. Finally, the visit concludes, but Thoren wants Daphne to stay on Domino.

"I'm sorry, Thoren, but I need to be with my sister right now. I'll be back soon, my love." They kiss goodbye before Daphne and Bloom board the shuttle back to Magix. They arrive just in time for Bloom to greet everyone at breakfast.

The dining hall is filled with chatter and life, much to Bloom's delight. She has loved and always will love the sound of people socializing. It gives her energy and help her feel better. Then she remembers she has an announcement to make. She rings a bell and stands, so the dining hall falls silent.

"Friends, this is just a reminder than Winter Break is just under two weeks away, so if you have not already, fill out the form that was sent out with your plans. Thank you." Then she sits back down, and the meal proceeds. After breakfast, Bloom tries to go up to her apartment, but North stops her. Bloom tries to tell the fairy that she needs to be alone, but North, unintentionally, gives the headmistress a stare that bores into Bloom's being. Bloom starts to feel uncomfortable, but she hides it. Before Bloom even knows what is happening, North is talking at Bloom about her problems again, and this time the conversation is even longer than the previous conversation. Once North has had her spill, she leaves the headmistress without a word. Bloom stands in silence in the hall, all of her energy gone. She cannot keep this up. Between the wedding, running the school, her sister's pregnancy, and these daily sessions with North, all of Bloom's energy is gone by lunch. How did Ms. Faragonda ever do this?

Monday morning, Bloom stands at the gates of Alfea to welcome Tecna and her team. Tecna is just as cold as she was at their last meeting. The team reviews Ms. Faragonda's schedule leading up to and the day of her death. She was very busy, Bloom realizes, but they soon find a calendar with a date missing. It looks like someone ripped it out, as if they were trying to hide whatever was on it. Then Bloom thinks back to the square with the meeting written on it and suggests they compare the torn square to the calendar. Tecna, wearing gloves, pulls it out of a bag and compares the square to the calendar; they match.

Next, the team looks through Ms. Faragonda's emails. They discover emails to and from Ryan, Ms. Faragonda's lover. They also find that these emails began the day a convicted criminal escaped from the Omega Dimension: a vampire. Bloom finds it odd that the same day a criminal escaped was the same day that the emails to Ryan began, but Bloom does not say anything. Surely the team is thinking the same thing, right?

Eventually Tecna asks Bloom to take them up to the security office. However, Bloom does not know where that is, because the day Ms. Faragonda died was the day she was supposed to show Bloom the security office. Bloom quickly calls Griselda into her office and asks if Griselda knows where the office is. Griselda sighs sadly and explains that only the headmistress knows the location of the office. Bloom shakes her head frustratedly.

"That has got to change. From this point forward, and after we find the office, I am making a rule that all faculty is required to know the location of the security office." Griselda agrees and then points out that the map of the college Ms. Faragonda always had on her bookshelf might have something. "Claudia has that, though," Bloom says. "Guess that means I'm giving her a call. Excuse me, Chief."

Bloom steps out of her office, pulls out her phone, and searches through her contacts for Claudia's number. It takes her a while to find it because she forgot Claudia's contact is "Ms. Faragonda's daughter," not "Claudia." Once she figures out which contact is Claudia's, Bloom calls Claudia and asks her to email a copy of the map to them. Within a few minutes, the email has arrived. Bloom, who has since rejoined the others in her office, pulls up the map, and much to everyone's dismay, there is no new information. One of the officers swears under his breath, which earns him a nasty glare from Tecna. Then an idea strikes Bloom. She tells the others, and they all agree. Then Bloom takes a deep breath and casts a locator spell. Nothing happens.

"If only there were some way to ask Ms. Faragonda herself where the office is," Bloom sighs.

"Only witches can do that," Tecna explains.

"Witches. Witches! We can call Headmistress Lucy." Bloom once again excuses herself to make the call. Headmistress Lucy sounds annoyed with Bloom, but she agrees to come over.

"But know that this isn't for you fairies," she hisses. "It's in honor of Headmistress Griffin." They hang up, and the headmistress of Cloud Tower arrives minutes later. Bloom welcomes her and ushers her into the office, where the others wait. Lucy goes through the necessary steps to make sure the reading happens correctly, and then she begins. At first, Lucy only sense the spirit of Headmistress Griffin, but soon the spirit of Ms. Faragonda makes itself known. The spirit tells them where the office is, and Tecna sends her team to the location immediately. Bloom jots down the location on piece of paper so she will never forget. Then Lucy finishes up, with no other words from Ms. Faragonda. Part of Bloom's heart breaks; she had really hoped that Ms. Faragonda would tell her how she was doing as the new headmistress or that her parents' spirits would be with her. Next, Bloom thanks Lucy and leaves the join the team in the security office.

On her way to the office, the fairy North stops Bloom and starts trying to tell her all these things that have happened to her. When Bloom tries to tell North that she is busy, North tunes her out, until Bloom casts a spell on North so that she will fall asleep right there. Probably not the best way to handle the situation, but it the only thing Bloom could think to do in the moment. Then she hurries as fast as she can to the office. When she arrives, Tecna and her team are already reviewing the footage. What Bloom sees on the monitor when she walks in will never leave her.

* * *

So that's the end of Chapter 7! What do you all think Bloom saw? Let me know your thoughts! Thank you all so much for reading; I love you all so much! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 8! Hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

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The last students trail out of the classroom. Bloom sighs, utterly exhausted. She only has to lead the dismissal assembly and then she is free for winter break. She can do this. Only half an hour left. Then she is free. Now, her only obstacle is escaping without North finding-

"Hello, Headmistress Bloom," a familiar voice says. Chills run down Bloom's spine. _Too late_. Bloom turns around slowly to face North.

"Hello, North. You should be in the assembly."

"I know, Headmistress, but I wanted to talk to you about something." The expression on North's long and oval face, and the emotions embedded deep within her clear blue eyes make Bloom fidget. Bloom starts to protest and explain that they really need to be headed to the assembly, but North cuts her off and starts spewing out her problems to the headmistress. Bloom, sighing silently, bows to her fate. At least she will be married in a few days.

At the assembly, Bloom wishes the students, faculty, and staff a wonderful winter break and reminds them to be safe. Once the assembly is over, Bloom races back up to her apartment in hopes of avoiding North. She simply cannot deal with another "conversation" with the Fairy of Winds right now. Up in her apartment, Bloom walks in to find Daphne rubbing her hand over her abdomen, smiling in thought. Bloom walks up to her and hugs her. Daphne, her thoughts broken, returns the hug to her younger sister. Then they pack to get ready to leave for Domino. Since Bloom's wedding is only five days away, the two sisters are going to spend some time with each other up in the Domino mountains. It will be the last few days they spend together for a while, for Daphne needs to resume her duties as Queen of Domino, and Bloom will have to balance being the Queen Consort of Eraklyon and being the Headmistress of Alfea.

After they finish packing, the two sisters head out to board the shuttle to Magix City. Unfortunately, on their way out, North catches them, and she refuses to stop talking to poor Bloom. At first the headmistress shoots her older sister a distressed glance, but when even Daphne cannot save her sister, Bloom resigns herself to her fate. Throughout the entire one-way conversation, Bloom listens intently to North's words and studies her mannerisms. What Bloom notices is that North avoids eye contact with her, and that her hands move a lot when she talks. _Oh, that's interesting. North talks in really fast and then moderate speed intervals. I wonder, though, how long our conversations would last she spoke at the same pace I speak at._

"Listen, North. I'm really sorry that all this has happened to you, but I assure you that we will address this after the break. Now, please, go have a good break, and -"

"Headmistress, please. I've tried everything."

"Have you tried my suggestions?"

"No, but I can't. And even if I could, they wouldn't work."

"North, how can you know they won't work if you haven't even tried them?"

"Because I just know!" Bloom takes several deep breaths, trying to keep her cool. There is no way she is starting off her break with a fight with a student. "Ugh! I don't even know why I talk to you about anything! You never listen, and you're never helpful!" Then North, in a huff of fury and vexation, storms away. "What kind of headmistress are you that you can't even help one single student?!" Bloom practically hears North's eyes rolling in their sockets.

"That's fine, North." Bloom lowers her voice to a whisper, "Be immature. It'll get you really far in life." Daphne comes up behind her sister and places her hands on Bloom's shoulders, turning her to face the shuttle.

"Let's go home."

The shuttle to Domino lands, and the passengers disembark. Daphne and Bloom are the last two to get off, for they want to avoid the chaos of everyone getting off at once. Then they grab their backs, tip the porter, and head off. This will be such a good time for the two of them, they just know it.

The two sisters way goodbye to the pilot of their ship before entering the mountain house. The house is small: only two bedrooms, one and a half baths, a kitchen, and small living area. They've rented the house for the next three days before Bloom goes to Eraklyon for a couple of days before her wedding. There will be no bachlorette party, but Bloom did not really want one anyways. She has been a bachlorette for the past thirty years of her life, twelve of which were spent being engaged. The reason Bloom and Sky continuously delayed the wedding is that several problems came up over those twelve years that forced them to either cancel the actual wedding or call of the engagement. But now, at long last, the princess and the king will be bound in matrimony.

"Are you alright?" Daphne asks her sister, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Yeah, just thinking." Daphne smiles.

"Okay. Just checking." Daphne kisses Bloom's forehead. "I love you, Bloom."

"I love you too, Daphne." The two sisters embrace. "You're going to be a great mom," Bloom whispers. A wave of fatigue washes over Bloom. "Daphne, I'm going to go lie down for a few a while."

"Okay. I'll be outside if you need anything." The sisters part ways, and Bloom heads to the room she has claimed as hers. There, Bloom lies down on her bed and closes her eyes. Only, she does not sleep. Instead she tosses and turns, haunted by memories and questions regarding her parents and Ms. Faragonda. Can her weary and aching soul not find peace?

Tears start streaming down her face, leaving trails in their wake. She curls up into the fetal position and sobs silently. If anyone else were to see the sight, their hearts would surely break. To see such a strong woman break down like she is currently, would be enough to break anybody's heart. Well, except the one or ones responsible for the breakdown.

Suddenly, the sorrow turns to rage, intensified by Bloom's inner dragon. Bloom starts thrashing about before angrily pacing her room, kicking the pillows and blankets on the floor. She then collapses on the bed, screaming and crying in rage, cursing all who have made her this way. She curses her parents, Oritel and Miriam, for dying before her wedding and even conceiving her, and she curses Mike and Vanessa for saving and adopting her; she also curses Mike and Vanessa for going missing the past summer. Lastly, she curses Ms. Faragonda for dying and leaving her in charge of school and with incomplete directions.

"I hate you! I hate you all!" Bloom screeches into a pillow before throwing it furiously at the door. "How could you do this to me?! And Winx, I hope you all get lost in the Omega Dimension, along with you too, Sky and Thoren!" Boiling tears continue to stream down Bloom's red and splotchy face. Her heart is truly broken, shattered beyond repair, and no wedding or pregnancy can heal it. Gradually, Bloom's breathing slows as her heart rate lowers. The emotions subside, and all that remains are a redhaired woman and a messy room. The door to Bloom's room opens quietly, and Daphne walks in, handing Bloom a mug. Neither says a word as Bloom sips the tea her sister made, and Daphne rubs her younger sister's back comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry, Bloom. I'm sorry that you are hurting, and I'm sorry I can't make it go away." At first Bloom does not respond, only staring blankly at the wall. Finally, she speaks.

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I didn't mean for this trip to start out like this."

"Bloom, it's okay. What you're feeling is normal, so there's no reason to apologize." The two sisters hug. "I love you, dearest sister, and everything will be just fine. I promise."

"Thank you, Daphne. I love you too."

When the two sisters finish in Bloom's bedroom, they go out to the living area and pop in a movie. By the time they finish it, they are in stitches and have recovered from the episode. Then they decide they should probably go to bed. Daphne and Bloom goes to Bloom's room, where Daphne sits with Bloom until after she is asleep. Then Daphne gives her sister a kiss goodnight and goes to her bedroom. While she lies awake, Daphne thinks about her sister and how she is handling all the stress in her life. Poor Bloom puts on a brave face for everyone and is there for others, but the one time she really needs someone to be there for her, hardly anybody gives her the time of day. Daphne feels her own heart breaking for her younger sister.

"Maybe a wedding is the last thing Bloom needs in her life."

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So that's the end of Chapter 8! I know it was a little shorter than what I normally do, but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. Let me know what you all thought of the chapter, and I hope to have the next chapter up as soon as possible! Thank you all so much for reading, and don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I love you all so much, my Butterflies!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, Butterflies! So I have big news! This is a very special chapter, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

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Nerves swell up inside Bloom as butterflies start to choke her from the inside. Suddenly, she is unsure about all of this. What if she is wrong? What if this really is not supposed to happen? What will happen then? After all, she and Sky were engaged for twelve years. Surely, if they had truly felt that they were right together, they would have found a way to get married sooner. Hey, Daphne and Thoren were engaged all of a week before getting married. Besides, how else will she provide Daphne with an heir? A tear slips from Bloom's cyan eyes and rolls softly down her cheek. She has to go through with this. It is too late to back out now. Bloom glances up at the mirror, gazing into her reflection, missing all four of her parents and her surrogate grandmother. A few more tears escape Bloom's eyes, but she brushes them away before anyone else can see. _No. I won't be another source of pain for my friends; they already have so much to deal with. The last thing I want to do is make them hurt more._

The door bursts open to a bubbly and excited Stella. Stella runs up and hugs Bloom, asking Bloom is she is just as excited as she is for what is coming in only a few hours.

"Stella, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were the one getting married!"

"Oh, please! I've already been married!"

"And isn't he the sweetest?" Bloom asks the giggling blonde.

"Oh yes! Now, let's get you ready to walk down that aisle!" Knots tie themselves in Bloom's stomach. Is she really going to do this? Sighing, Bloom makes her decision. Yes, she is going this.

Stella has Bloom close her eyes while Stella does Bloom's hair and makeup. As Stella plays with Bloom's hair, a tingling sensation runs across Bloom's head, distracting her momentarily from her anxiety about what is to come in only a few hours. Once Stella finishes with Bloom's hair, she moves on to her makeup. Stella decides to go for a natural look, but she makes Bloom's eyes and lips pop. Bloom enjoys the feeling of Stella doing her makeup and wonders why she and the Winx never had spa days when they were still at Alfea. Bloom does her best to keep from sighing while Stella is still working her magic, but a miniscule sigh escapes from her lips. Stella does not notice.

Finally, Stella finishes. It has been about three hours since Stella first arrived, and now it is time for Bloom to don her dress. She is anxious to see what the bridesmaids dresses look like on the bridesmaids, but right now, she needs to focus on her own dress. Tenderly, Bloom removes her dress from the hanger and unzips the back. Then she removes her heels and slips into the dress. Stella zips it up for her, and Bloom slides her heels back on. Smiling, Bloom looks in the mirror for the first time since Stella arrived. Gasping, tears well up in Bloom's eyes. She looks so beautiful. But why can she not feel happy on her wedding day? Why does she feel so nervous, scared, and uncertain?

Bloom straightens out her skirt, the silk smooth to the touch. The sleeves of the dress hug her arms perfectly, and the Domino diadem rests on her forehead as if it were meant to be there. She feels the most beautiful she has ever felt, so why does she feel so worried?

"You're all done, Bloom!" Stella squeals excitedly. "You're ready to get married!" Bloom smiles weakly.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Suddenly, Daphne and the other Winx, including Roxy, burst into the dressing room; they are all in their bridesmaids dresses. "Oh, girls, you look fabulous!" Then Bloom lays eyes on Tecna. Something about her seems different. She seems colder and more aloof. And her hair is thinner, much thinner. _Oh no. Something's wrong with Tecna. No wonder she has been so cold; that's just how she deals with these things._ Part of Bloom's heart breaks even further for Tecna. Then Bloom realizes what could possibly be wrong with Tecna, causing her already fragile heart to break the rest of the way. She fights to keep from crying. Simultaneously, the eight women embrace each other as they prepare to walk the next to last bachlorette of their group down the aisle. After today, only Aisha will be left unwed. To be honest, no one thinks Aisha will ever walk down the aisle. Not after all the men in her life abandoned her.

Finally, it is time for the wedding ceremony. The Winx line up outside the doors to the chapel and take their respective groomsman's arm. Bloom watches both tearfully and fearfully as her friends and sister walk down the aisle. Can she really do this? The music signaling her walk down the aisle, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major, begins. Now, it is really too late to back out. Taking a deep breath, Bloom starts her walk down the aisle, her crystal flowers bouquet in hand and veil behind her. The guests stand, and Bloom blink back tears. At the end of the aisle is Sky, smiling exuberantly. Bloom smiles back, trying to mask her fear.

When Bloom reaches the end of the aisle, Sky extends his hand to help Bloom up the steps, a common Eraklyon tradition. Then they face the officiant. The officiant gives her spiel and guides the betrothed through their vows.

"Do you, Princess Bloom of Domino, take King Sky of Eraklyon to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." The words slip from Bloom's lips with no hesitation. She feels a tight squeeze of her hand, so she looks up at Sky. Love and joy fill his eyes and smile, and Bloom, not wanting to give Sky any reason to worry, smiles back. They will be happy together, she hopes.

"I do." Bloom seems shocked by Sky's response, realizing she zoned out for a moment.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Sky grabs Bloom's waist and pulls her into a passionate kiss that lasts forever. Bloom melts into her husband's embrace.

"I love you, my princess."

"I love you too, my king."

Later, at the reception, Bloom and Sky cut the white and blue, three tier wedding cake. They start to give each other a bite of their pieces, but Bloom smears her piece on Sky's face, much to everyone's amusement. To get her back, Sky "accidently" smears his cake on his wife's face too. After everyone has cake and has gotten to eat a bit, the newlyweds enjoy their first dance. After the first dance, Sky's parents approach the couple; Samara approaches Sky while Erendor approaches Bloom.

"I know I'm not your father, but may I have this dance?" Bloom nods, and the parents of the groom dance with the bride and groom. Before long, everyone is dancing and having a good time. By the end of the evening, everyone is in pleasant spirits and is glad they attended the wedding.

Late that night, Bloom and Sky are in their bedroom, talking. Sky appears to have picked up on Bloom's anxiety.

"Bloom, please tell me. What's bothering you?" Bloom bites the inside of her cheek. "Bloom, is it about the wedding?"

Bloom nods. "It was beautiful, is all. Nothing more." Bloom's voices breaks a little at the end of her sentence.

"No, Bloom, that's not all. Was it because of your parents?" Sky's questions breaks down the last of Bloom's emotional blockade.

"I just wish they could have been here. Mom and Dad were there for Daphne's wedding, and Mike and Vanessa are still missing." She curls her knees into her chest as she sits on the bed, still wearing her wedding dress. "I miss them so much." Sky sits down next to her and pulls her in closer to his body. Bloom rests her head on her husband's shoulder, crying.

"I know, Bloom. I understand how you feel, and I get that. I wish I could go back and prevent all of this from happening, but-"

"No, just stop telling me what you wish you could do. I don't want your pity!" Silence falls between the two for a good few minutes. Then Sky gets up, leaves the room, and returns a few minutes later with a two mugs. The newlyweds sip their calming tea for another long while, and afterwards, they speak. "I'm sorry, Sky. I'm a mess."

"It's okay, Bloom. It's okay."

A few hours later, the two, having enjoyed their wedding night experience, have gone to bed, and Bloom secretly hopes as she drifts off to sleep that she has conceived an heir for both Daphne and Sky. She knows the wait to find out will be a rather nerve-wracking, but it will be well worth it. And if she did not conceive, she can always try again, because Daphne and Sky are going to have an heir if it is the last thing Bloom does.

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So that concludes the special wedding chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing this chapter because of the emotions it (I hope) provoked. Anyways, thank you all so so much for reading! It means so much to me! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I love you all so much!


	10. Chapter 10

Hello again, Butterflies! Wow! I am just in pure shock at how quickly ten chapters have passed! I feel like I just finished Chapter 1! As a quick recap, Ms. Faragonda died, and the funeral was the first chapter. Bloom struggles to adjust to her new role as the headmistress, and she struggles to keep herself pulled together. Daphne comes for an extended visit, and she eventually finds out she is pregnant after years of failing to conceive. Somewhere in this mess of Bloom's life, a freshman fairy, North, who is the Fairy of Winds, starts to tell Bloom about all of these issues in her life, but fails to considers Bloom's needs. Then Bloom starts pushing for an investigation of Ms. Faragonda's death, leading to Bloom's suspicion of Ryan (Ms. Faragonda's lover and the father of Claudia- Ms. Faragonda's daughter and the newest Nymph of Magix). Bloom gets married after winter break starts. Talk about drama!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

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The doctor applies the tool covered in cold gel to Daphne's swollen abdomen. Daphne initially jumps a little, but as the doctor continues to move the tool, she grows used to the feeling. Bloom wonders what her older sister is thinking.

It takes a few minutes, but soon the image is up on the monitor. The image is black and white, and Bloom struggles to make sense of the image. To her, it looks like a bunch of black and white dots clustered together. The doctor glances up to check something, sees the monitor, and motions to the nurse to turn the monitor around so that it faces away from Daphne and Bloom. Then the doctor puts the tool down and starts pressing down in various places on Daphne's abdomen. A worried look crosses the doctor's face. The doctor motions for the nurse to step into the hallway. The two step out and are gone for a while. When they come back, both have empathetic faces.

"Uh, Your Majesty, I . . . uh . . . I'm sorry." Bloom watches the doctor as she tries her best to keep a strong face despite the news. Bloom wonders how the doctor does it, telling women news that begins like that. She knows for a fact that she could never be able to handle that kind of job.

"What for?" Daphne asks, masking the confusion and concern she obviously feels.

"There doesn't appear to be a fetus, anywhere." The news strikes Daphne like a ton of bricks.

"Excuse me, but I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say there is no fetus?" The doctor nods. "Please, tell me you're joking." Daphne's voice cracks, as does her heart. Bloom swears she hears the dull crack of her sister's heart; her own heart cracks upon this sound.

"Your Majesty, I really am sorry. It appears that your pregnancy is false." Tears rolls down Daphne's face, and Bloom wipes them away. Daphne asks how, and the doctor explains that Daphne's will and longing to conceive caused her body to adopt the symptoms of a pregnancy without there actually being a fetus. Coincidentally, though, the appearance of the false pregnancy coincided with the last time Daphne and Thoren had slept together. "If you want, Your Majesty, there are medical ways to aid conception; you and His Majesty meet the requirements." Daphne shakes her head. The motion flings a couple tears off Daphne's face, and they land on her shirt.

"We've already tried medical intervention." Daphne sighs mournfully. "I guess that kids just aren't a possibility for us." Daphne turns her head to look at her sister. "It looks like the heir will be one of your own." A tinge of bitterness in Daphne's voice strikes Bloom sharply. _Poor Daphne. Now I really need to give her an heir_.

"Sis, what if I carried children for you or gave you to raise the next Keeper of the Dragon Flame?" Daphne's shattered smiles repairs itself momentarily at Bloom's words. The doctor, Daphne, and Bloom talk about the possibility of Bloom becoming Daphne's surrogate. They make a decision, and the two sisters leave the heartbreaking appointment with some joy but mostly anxiety. They worry about the future of their kingdom and their own futures. _What would Mom and Dad say to us now?_

"Thank you, sis."

A few weeks later, Bloom wakes up in her bed, noticing that her heart no longer aches as much as it once did. Yes, the pain from her life is still there, and, yes, it still hurts, but it seems to have been numbed for a while. Then she glances at her clock; her heart stops. She has ten minutes before she needs to be at the door to the dining hall. Quickly, Bloom uses a spell to get herself dressed for the day while she brushes her teeth. She slides in sideways at the door to the dining hall meer seconds before the first students arrive. Before too long, the last of the students has entered the dining hall, and Bloom's heart grows lighter as she realizes that North did not come in. Quickly, Bloom scolds herself for thinking that and hurries up to the teachers' table. She welcomes the students to breakfast and says that she hopes that their first week back was not too difficult. A few of the students grumble, but most laugh and nod. Bloom smiles, and a true feeling of joy fills her for the first time since Ms. Faragonda died. But just as soon as Bloom realizes this, her bones grow heavy and pull her spirit down with them. It has been nearly a month since the day she found Ms. Faragonda lying dead on her desk. The memory forces chills to crawl down each individual vertebrae of Bloom's spine. Another memory leaps into Bloom's mind. It is the video she saw in the security office the day when Tecna and her team came to look further into Ms. Faragonda's death. The very thought of the video gives Bloom a sharp stab of suffering. The video played out like this:

Ms. Faragonda was signing documents and checking her email as usual. The window was open, and a breeze was blowing the curtains by the window. The sun was sending warm ways into the office, and filling the entire office with a sense of tranquility. Music was playing in the office, giving it life. Then in a flash, gray clouds rolled in, blocking out the sun. Cold winds started howling and whipping the curtains. Ms. Faragonda rose from her desk to close the window. Snow swirled around outside, hitting her in the face as she tried to close the window. The music went dead, despite the fact that Ms. Faragonda never touched the player. Something startled Ms. Faragonda, for she spun around quickly to face the origin of her fear. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. She ran to the person, whose back was to the camera and who was concealed by a coat and hat. They embraced, but then Ms. Faragonda made a strange face before going limp. The person took Ms. Faragonda over to her desk, where she rested her head. The person whispered something in her ear before helping Ms. Faragonda close her eyes. After that and a quick peck on Ms. Faragonda's neck, the person left, never showing xe's face to the camera. About fifteen minutes later, Bloom came into the room, saw Ms. Faragonda, and called for help.

"Bloom, are you alright?" Griselda asks worriedly after noticing Bloom has not uttered a single sound since her announcement half an hour ago. Everyone else has gone on to their classes by now, so only Bloom and Griselda remain in the vast dining hall.

"Oh . . . yes, Griselda, I'm fine. Thank you." But something tells Griselda otherwise. Bloom senses this and quickly excuses herself back to her office. There, Bloom does the usual signing documents, responding to emails, planning her next few classes, and of course waiting for a call from Tecna regarding whether or not there will be an investigation. For the entire morning, Bloom hears nothing from Tecna, but that afternoon, the phone rings. It is Tecna, and she and her team have reached a conclusion regarding whether or not they will investigate Ms. Faragonda's death. Those butterflies that choked Bloom on her wedding day return. This is the moment she has been waiting for since Ms. Faragonda died. This is the moment she learns that there will be a homicide investigation of Ms. Faragonda's death. This is when she starts her path towards closure and healing.

"Headmistress Bloom, I regret-" Bloom's heart drops down the the center of Magix and out the other side; her dreams are dashed, "- to inform you that there will not be an investigation into the death of the late Headmistress Faragonda. Have a nice a day, Headmistress." Bloom's already fallen heart shatters into a mole of pieces. _But- but why? Everything was there._ Tears stream down Bloom's worn face. This has not been a good year for her at all. _Is this kind of life really worth living? What good am I to anyone?_ Bloom glances out her office window. She _is_ pretty high up. All it would take is-

"NO!" Bloom yells to herself. "I won't do that! Not to anyone else!" Bloom lowers her voice as she fights against herself. "How could I do that to anyone else?"

Just then the door opens with a loud bang. Bloom dries her eyes and looks up to meet the furious glare of the person at the door. Pangs of pain jab at Bloom when she meets her visitor's eyes. _So much pain. How can there be so much pain in one person's eyes?_ The person huffs and heaves loudly, as if xe is struggling to breathe through xe's fury. Next, xe approaches the desk and slams xe's fists down on the golden desk. Surprisingly to the person, the vibrations do not faze the headmistress. Calmly Bloom greets the person with,"I see. You've finally come, dear friend."

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Dun, dun, dun! Who do you all think the visitor is? Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I promise to have the next chapter up as soon as I can. However, that might be for a while because I need sometime to work some things out in my personal life. I hope you all understand, and in the meantime, why not check out some of my other stories? You can find links for them on my profile. Anyhow, thank you all so much for reading, and I love you all so much. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back, and it sure does feel good to be back! Here's chapter 11 (wow, 11 chapters!)

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

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"I see. You've finally come, dear friend."

"Don't you ever call me that again," the visitor spits. "That was almost a decade ago." Bloom's blue eyes lock and latch onto her once good friend's eyes.

"You're hurting. What's wrong?"

"You monster! You know perfectly well why I'm hurting!" Tears of rage strain themselves out of the visitor's brown eyes. "How in the Omega Dimension could you do this to me?! You of all people!"

"What did you find?" The person does not respond. "Aisha, what did you find?" Bloom asks in a firmer, more commanding tone. Aisha throws the folded paper in her hand at the headmistress's face.

"This! I found this, you monster!" Bloom unfolds the paper and reads it. At the end, she gasps. The words, "Love, Nabu" are written in ink at the bottom.

"I didn't write this, Aisha." Aisha turns her back to Bloom and shouts that Bloom did in fact write the note. "I'll show you," Bloom offers, "that I did not write the note." Then Bloom casts a spell, and sparkles fall onto the paper. Once they have all touched the paper, they disappear and form the image of Nabu. Aisha grabs the paper from Bloom and stares at it in a mix of anger, hatred, and disbelief. She growls lowly and accuses Bloom of making the image appear to trick her. Bloom tries her best to stay calm as the woman she once called her friend, but it is harder than she originally thought. Aisha stays mad at Bloom for the entire meeting, refusing to listen to the headmistress. When she finally leaves, she forgets the note on Bloom's desk. Bloom peers down at the notes, bewildered.

"I just don't understand. Why did he wake up now? That was eleven years ago." But despite the confusion, Bloom felt a sense of relief. Morgana and the Earth Fairies had kept their promise; they had watched over him until he woke up, even from afar.

Bloom glances at her phone and wonders if she ever had Nabu's number. Quickly, she scrolls through her contacts and finds, much to her dismay, that she does not have his number or any way to contact him. To be honest though, that does not surprise Bloom; Aisha always kept Nabu's contacts secret from the others. They never could figure out why she did that. But maybe Sky or the other Specialists have his number. First, Bloom tries Sky, but he does not pick up, so she tries the others. After being unable to reach most the Specialists, and the few she could reach not having the information, Bloom gives up. Then there is a knock at her door. Griselda pokes her head into the office.

"Bloom, there's someone here who wishes to see you."

"Let him in." The door opens, and Ryan walks in. "Hello, Mr. Ryan. What can I do for you today?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk, Headmistress."

"I would love to."

As Ryan and Bloom walk around campus, Bloom notices the clouds look like they are about to dump tons of snow again. By now, it is almost February, so snow is coming less frequently. _How odd, though. It was warmer and sunny yesterday._ Then Bloom notices a detail she wishes she had noticed long ago. But she will have to approach it strategically in order to avoid detection.

"Mr. Ryan, tell me, what is it that you do for a living?"

"Well, Headmistress, I study the various kinds of magical creatures, such as fairies, witches, wizards, -"

"Vampires?"

"Yes, those too." Bloom smiles and hides her pleasure; so far so good.

"Do vampires have powers over certain things, similar to fairies or witches?"

"My, aren't you a curious one, Headmistress."

"I try to always fill my mind with new knowledge."

"I see. But, yes, vampires do in a way have powers over certain things." Bloom brushes some loose hairs out of her face. "Why do you ask, Headmistress?"

"Simply because I wish to learn more. I was never given a proper education on the types of magical creatures in the Magic Dimension. What did you mean when you said 'in a way'?" Ryan smiles happily at Bloom's curiosity. It brings him great joy to give knowledge to young minds. Bloom is just like Ms. Faragonda, at least in Ryan's mind. But what bugs Ryan is the fact that Bloom is focused on vampires. Could she possibly be a vampire herself? No, she does not give off the energy of a vampire.

"What I meant was that vampires, like fairies, have general powers, but vampires also have powers over nature related things. For some, it is an element, and for others it is weather. But unlike fairies or witches, more than one vampire can have the same power. This makes their convergences extremely powerful."

"I see." Snow starts falling from the sky. Bloom's tone changes."Now tell me, what is your power?" Ryan gasps at Bloom's harsh question. Bloom never lets up on her stare at Ryan. She knows he is the escaped criminal. She knows he is a vampire, and she knows he killed Ms. Faragonda. "It's snow, isn't it? That's why it snows every time you're around. You use it to hide your tracks." Ryan feels offended by the headmistress's accusations. Who does she think he is, the escaped criminal?

"Yes, I am a vampire."

"You killed Ms. Faragonda, didn't you?" Rage burns Bloom's throat and mouth her words. Her inner fire is blazing with disgust and anger. If she were not the Headmistress of Alfea, she would strangle the murderer in front of her in an instant. The snow that has landed around Bloom melts from her fire's heat. From Bloom's office, Lockette, who has just arrived with Kiko, and Griselda watch the encounter. "How could you?!" Tears evaporate as they leave Bloom's eyes. Bloom feels the flames licking her eyes. _Magic Winx, Butterflix!_ Bloom feels her transformation take place, but she never takes her eyes off Ryan. Lockette prepares to fly down and stop her bonded fairy, but Griselda stops her.

"Lockette, this is Bloom's fight. Let her handle it on her own." Griselda's voice is distant but worried. Bloom, the most powerful fairy in the Magical Dimension, could do anything to Ryan out there. But ultimately, it is up to Bloom to decide what she does. At the end of the day, Bloom is the only one responsible for her actions, and Griselda is hoping that Bloom, in her rage, makes the right decision.

Meanwhile, Bloom is struggling to use her Butterflix against Ryan. For some reason, it feels as if simply being in her Butterflix form is draining her powers. Then she puts two and two together. She gasps in horror. _No! He can't be! He's a power vampire!_ Ryan laughs confusedly, while giving Bloom a confused look as snow falls harder around them. Bloom read something once, many years ago, about power vampires. If she recalls correctly, only fairy dust can protect someone from a power vampire. Only, Bloom has not used fairy dust in years. She does, however, know that her fairy dust is still in her wings. Bloom closes her eyes, and calls upon her fairy dust. She feels the dust around her, but it is too weak. She will have to fight this without protection.

"Headmistress, listen to me. Yes, I am a vampire, and a power one at that, but I would never hurt anyone."

"Then why were you locked away for all those years?" Ryan feels the dagger words as they stab him. Does Bloom even know what she is saying, or is she too blinded by rage?

"Headmistress Bloom, let me explain. I feel your pain regarding Faragonda's death, honestly. I know that you are hurting because you believe her death was too soon and unnatural. I know you seek answers, so let me give you some. If you want, you can even cast a sincerity spell on my using your fairy dust, since it is a pure substance." Bloom feels her blood run cold. What has she just done? She drops to the ground, untransforms, and starts crying.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Ryan," she cries. Ryan takes the crying headmistress, whose face is as red as her hair from embarrassment, and takes her inside. He guides her up the stairs back up to her office. Next Ryan gives Bloom answers, for the others have gone. The fairy dust prevents Ryan from lying, so Bloom knows for sure that he is telling the truth. Ryan explains his past and what happened the day Ms. Faragonda died. Afterwards, Ryan rises to leave. Bloom asks for his forgiveness for her behavior earlier. He says he forgives her, and Bloom thanks him for both stopping by and the answers.

"My pleasure, Headmistress. Thank you for having me." Then Ryan does something incredibly unexpected. He grabs Bloom and pulls her into a friendly hug. "I hope you find the answers you seek and that closure you need." Bloom feels much better and lot less alone at Ryan's words. But before Bloom is able to reply, Ryan draws her in closer and plants a kiss on her neck. He pulls away as Bloom falls, then opens the window and escapes, careful to clear any evidence. Bloom hits the floor with a thud, any air in her chest being knocked out. Darkness clouds her eyes.

* * *

Oh no! What do you all think is going to happen next? Let me know your thoughts! Thank you all so much for reading, and I promise to have the next chapter out as soon as I can! I love you all so much! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 12! I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: _Winx Club_ belongs to Iginio Straffi, Rainbow Fiction, and RAI.

* * *

A surge of energy snaps her back, but something is not right. Everything is fuzzy, as if someone had given her glasses she did not need. Her head hurts, and she wants desperately to go back to wherever the heck she had gone. She soon senses somebody holding her upright. The contact makes her uncomfortable, but when she tries to free herself, the person tells her to hold still. The person's voice is vaguely familiar, but she is unable to recall where she knows the voice from.

"Griselda?' She asks. The blurry shape of a person's head nods. "Where-where did Ryan go?" Griselda stiffens for an instant when Bloom mentions Ryan's name.

"He did this? I-we thought you had done it to yourself."

"I would never. I'm heartbroken, not suicidal." Part of Bloom recoils at the lie, but she knows that admitting the dark truth would bring further suspicion. Besides, does she even count as suicidal? "The girls." Bloom's vision starts clearing, so she is able to see all of the Winx looking at her. "Girls, you came." They all sit down and talk with Bloom. Tecna says she is going to go check the security footage as she gets up and leaves. "Griselda, what happened after Ryan left?" Griselda explains that she sensed something was up after Ryan never came out of the office, despite the fact that conversation had seemed to stop. When she went into Bloom's office to check on her, she found Bloom on the floor unconscious. She called the others and started working on Bloom to save her. Roxy had been the first to arrive and used her Believix healing power to Bloom, which both stabilized and awoke Bloom. The other Winx had arrived by then. Bloom, wiping grateful tears from her eyes, thanks Griselda and Roxy for saving her. Bloom cannot help but imagine how different the outcome would have been.

"Bloom, who is this Ryan, and what were you doing with him?" Flora asks.

"Ryan is-or rather was- Ms. Faragonda's lover and the father of her daughter, Claudia. Ryan is also a power vampire." A collective gasps sucks the air out of the room.

"But I thought those only existed in stories," Musa says. The Winx and Griselda discuss what had happened and how it fits into the greater scheme of things.

Finally, Roxy, who had not uttered a word during the entire conversation, breaks in. "Would one of you mind telling me what in the world a power vampire is?"

"Roxy, a power vampire is a type of vampire that feeds of the power force of magical creatures instead of their life force. Unless one is also a vampire, the mere presence of one is enough to minimally weaken someone's powers, but if they are in their magical form, it can cause noticeable power loss. But it doesn't make sense how Ms. Faragonda was able to protect herself." Daphne pauses. "Of course! How did I not think of it before?!" At that moment Griselda catches onto Daphne's revelation.

"She used fairy dust!" They exclaim together.

"The only way to protect yourself from a vampire is to use the purest substance in the Magical Dimension, which is fairy dust," Griselda explains. Bloom starts connecting dots in her mind, realizes something, and asks why Ryan kissed her neck. Griselda explains that power vampires suck the power force of magical creatures by kissing their necks. When Bloom recalls the video and explains it to the others, they start making connections. Only Tecna is hesitant. Eventually, she accepts that the others are dead set on Ryan having killed Ms. Faragonda.

Then a knock on the office door has everyone shocked. The door opens, and Aisha's hands fly to her mouth. Standing in the doorway, in purple robes and with his hair pulled back in a braid, is Nabu. Aisha, runs to him, tears running down her face. It has been eleven years since she saw him last. Nabu embraces Aisha and strokes her hair. Bloom hears Aisha mutter something about Nabu coming back. Then the reunited couple kisses passionately. They melt into each other's arms. For eleven years Aisha has waited for this, though she had been able to find some love in the meantime. Something sparks in Musa, as she is reminded of Riven. She never did learn what happened to him. She turns to Bloom and asks.

"Funny you should ask that, Musa." There is a moment's pause as Aisha and Nabu break for air. "Riven found another- Claudia in fact- and now has a family." Musa nods, her heart splintering slightly. She harbored those feelings for him for all those years only to discover that he has married the daughter of Ms. Faragonda. Musa blinks back her tears. But now she is truly free. Now she can happily enjoy her marriage. But is she truly happy in her marriage? It was just for her father's sake that she married the prince of Melody. Musa sighs. What's done is done.

Sky bursts through the door, demanding to see his wife, his genuine concern and fear is evident in eyes, voice, and body language. Bloom approaches Sky and says that she is alright, to which Sky responds by sighing relievedly and hugging his wife closely. Then Bloom mutters something about needing to talk to Sky about something very soon. At that time, the Winx and Griselda all decide they will continue their quest for answers the following day. Everyone leaves, but as Tecna is heading out, Bloom stops her.

"When were you planning on telling us?" Bloom asks. Tecna gives her a suspicious look. "Tecna, don't tell me you thought I wasn't going to notice."

"To be honest, I was actually hoping you weren't."

"Tecna, why?"

"Because I knew you all would worry about me, always want to check on me. I knew that when the time came, you would all want to be there, but to be honest, I want to be alone. I don't even want Timmy there." Bloom gasps at Tecna words. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Have a good day, Headmistress Bloom." The gold doors shut, leaving Bloom alone in her office. Tears burn her eyes as she feels her face growing red. One tear falls, followed by another, and then another. After a few tears, Bloom is sobbing, her head in her hands. _Why is this happening? What did Tecna ever do to get this? Why now?_ Bloom continues to sob for several more minutes in the solitude of her office. Now, she wishes Ryan had been a real vampire, so he would taken her life force.

As Bloom keeps crying, she notices her alone she feels. Not just physically alone, but emotionally alone. She feels that she is the sole person pushing for answers and that everyone thinks she is just unable to get over her grief. She feels that she is the only person still grieving Ms. Faragonda. Lastly, she feels that she is alone in her battle with fate. Thus far, fate has not been kind to her, for it has ripped her life to shreds and continues to do so. Yes, there have been quite a few happy times, but for some reason Bloom is unable to stop herself from feeling so down yet numb about her life so far. Then Daphne crosses her mind. She still needs to talk to Sky about being Daphne's surrogate. She is not asking for his permission, but rather asking for him to support her in whatever she decides to do.

However, Bloom's focus on her sister fades as quickly as it came, and soon thoughts of Tecna consume her mind. Bloom feels the tears stinging her eyes before overflowing and running down her face all over again. What is happening to her? What did she do to deserve the cards life dealt her? Bloom wipes the tears from her eyes. Why is she crying? She does not know what kind or what stage it is. She is not going to lose Tecna. Yet, Tecna's words ring in her mind. She wants to be alone when the time comes. Does that means that Tecna's fate is already sealed, or is she just being dramatic? Nonetheless, the pain is there. The upcoming heartbreak is there. Even though they were never super close when they were younger, and even though they had barely seen each other in several years, Tecna is still her friend, and the mere thought of losing her breaks Bloom's heart. Their children will never grow up together or hear stories about their mothers' younger days. Tecna will have no children to keep her name alive, for even Timmy will move on and replace his love for Tecna with love for someone else. _Funny,_ Bloom thinks, _how Ms. Faragonda's death has brought us together yet torn us all apart._ More tears cascade down Bloom's worn and weary face. By now she unable to control them; they flow as they please. Too much pain in her life has made her this way, and she knows she can never undo what it has done. _How long, Tecna, how long?_


	13. Chapter 13

Hey, Butterflies! I'm back! In case you did not notice, I did not close the last chapter. I did that on purpose because I could not think of an appropriate way to end it. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed last chapter, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please be aware that this is the final chapter, and I will post my next story, the sequel to the Secret Saturdays fanfic I posted a long time ago, as soon as I can. Also, please note that I am planning to write a sequel to this story called _Raising Winx_ (or something like that), which will answer many of the questions I know you might have. Thank you all so much reading!

Disclaimer: Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi, RAI, and Rainbow Fiction.

* * *

Bloom closes the book and sighs. How has she found nothing? She has been searching for weeks now. She should have answers by now. Dragon, if only Ms. Faragonda were here. Bloom calls it a day and goes back to her apartment. On her way, though, a thought strikes Bloom. All this time she has not seen North, nor has she heard from her parents. She starts to wonder. That is when Bloom realizes that she spent a good amount of her time hiding from North, and now she is noticing the effects that one-way relationship has had. As a result of her actions, Bloom has not been able to form a relationship with her students in the way she wanted to, and she feels that she has not been available to her students. This realization is a heavy weight crushing Bloom and waking her up. Tears start to form in Bloom's blue eyes; she no longer knows why she cries.

Blinded by her tears, Bloom fumbles for the doorknob to her apartment. When she finally finds it and opens the door, she stumbles into her apartment and makes her way into her bedroom. She lies down on her bed and sobs. Everything is falling apart around, and she is helpless to stop it. As she buries her face in her pillow, she sobs harder. On the other side of the apartment, Ms. Faragonda's bedroom remains locked, for Bloom is too afraid and unprepared to open it. To Bloom, it almost seems as a form of closure to know that nothing in the room has changed.

Alone in her apartment, Bloom sobs for a long while, as if her heart is trying to heal itself but does not know how. Oh, how she could use a confidant. Oh how she could use Ms. Faragonda right now. Alas, Ms. Faragonda is one of the reasons Bloom is even in this mess. Funny is it not, how when someone passes away, they are the one person we need to talk to. If Bloom were not so upset and heartbroken, she could have laughed at her sudden realization. Instead it makes her cry harder. Unlike when Ms. Faragonda had been turned into a tree, there is no chance of her return, no hope to see her again. There is nothing left of Ms. Faragonda but memories and her legacy. And all too soon Tecna will be the same way. Even more tears pour down Bloom's face. These are no longer tears of sadness; these are tears of years of suppressed emotions finally coming out.

A light rap on the door to Bloom's apartment causes Bloom to cease crying. She manages to tell the person to come in before curling back into her little ball and resting her head on her knees. The person does not announce xeself; xe only sits down next to Bloom and holds her. When Bloom does look up , she notices the person is Griselda. This causes Bloom to cry even more. Griselda is one of the few people to see Bloom so vulnerable, and she has done so much for Bloom. There is no way Bloom can thank Griselda enough. It almost scares Bloom how much she owes Griselda for everything she has done since Bloom's first day at Alfea.

"It's okay, Bloom. Let it out." Griselda coos. Bloom's heart purges bits of the pain as the Nymph holds Bloom. "You've been through a lot, and you've stayed so strong. You've cared for others in a way no one else could have, but you too need to be cared for." Griselda rubs Bloom's shoulder as Bloom cries. Silence falls between the two with only the sound of Bloom cries breaking the silence. After a good half hour, Bloom's cries slow and quiet themselves. Griselda never let go of Bloom for that half hour, and she never dismissed Bloom's feelings.

"Griselda, I-" Bloom gasps for air, "-I just. Thank-" she gasps again, "you for everything." Griselda gives Bloom a little squeeze.

"Of course. You would have done the same for me." Then Bloom asks how Griselda knew to just let her cry and validate her emotions. "I've seen a lot in my centuries of life. I saw Ms. Faragonda going through what you're going through now with several of her peers, teachers, and even family. I even saw her go through this when Ms. Mavilla passed away years after she retired. In all my years, I have come to learn what helps and what does not."

"How? How do you do this?" Bloom asks, her voice regained. "How do you care for so many and yourself?"

"I learned to ask for help. I seek help when I can longer handle things, and even though I feel bad about burdening someone else in the moment, I feel better later and accept that my feelings are no burden if they help me help others. You could say I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I wear a jacket over my sleeve." Bloom laughs, but turns her expression back to serious.

"What- what do you think happened to Ms. Faragonda the day she died?"

"If I had to bet, Bloom, I would say that Ms. Faragonda had been given a warning that her death was coming, so she was trying to get everything ready that day, thinking she had more time than she did. When Ryan came to see her and they embraced, I believe that she died in his arms, and in order to keep Ms. Faragonda's powers from being lost, as is what sometimes happens when children are hybrids, he took her powers and gave them to Claudia." Bloom nods.

"And Ryan being the escaped criminal?"

"I believe he knew Ms. Faragonda's fate long before she did, so he broke out to be with her. He had a month left on his sentence, but because of his actions, he will be there for another year or so." Bloom sighs. She feels awful about everything that happened with Ryan and Tecna and the investigation. Now she realizes how others saw it, and how others saw her foolish insistence that it was murder.

"Griselda, may I ask you a question? It's rude of me, but I-"

"Go ahead, Bloom."

"How have you not aged if you and Ms. Faragonda were close in age?" Griselda smiles.

"If you look at me more closely, you'll see I have aged since you first arrived here, Bloom." Bloom looks closer and notices how Griselda's face seems for tired and worn. "I use magic to look my age in terms of a normal life span rather than my actual age. I have to have an heir somehow." Bloom gasps in shock. No heir! "Don't worry, Bloom. I think I may have found someone to help me have an heir." Suddenly Bloom remembers a thought from long ago.

"Griselda, did you-" Bloom pauses, "did you have romantic feelings for Ms. Faragonda?" Bloom asks as normally as she can, for she has never asked someone this question before.

"Yes, I did." Griselda's gaze lowers. "But it was only one way. Ms. Faragonda, as you know, liked men." Silence settles between the headmistress and the assistant headmistress. Neither says a word for a long time; they just sit there lost in their own thoughts. Bloom wonders if their conversation could have been anymore awkward, and Griselda seems lost to the world. A single tear slips down Griselda's cheek, but she wipes it away before Bloom notices. In her mind, Griselda is thinking of her younger years when she was a student at Alfea. This was the place she had first accepted that she like girls, and Alfea would always have a special place in her heart for that. She also thinks of how Ms. Faragonda had supported her all through all their centuries together. Never once had Ms. Faragonda said an unkind word to her, nor had she ever used Griselda's gender preference against her. Another tear slips from Griselda's eye. This time she lets it fall onto her shoulder. What a hypocrite is she; she tells Bloom to release her emotions and not to bottle, yet here she is trying to hide her emotions.

Bloom notices Griselda crying silently and wraps her arms around Griselda comfortingly. The caring gesture is enough to break the awkwardness and start the two towards their paths to closure.

Losing Ms. Faragonda was hard, but feeling alone in their suffering was harder. No one deserves to suffer alone, no matter who they are or what they do. People love, and part of love means helping those suffering. Walls will be torn down and divides closed with the love humans feel for each other. Suffering does two things: it breaks people apart and draws them together. So even though we know that we are unable to win every battle we fight, we know that life is not about winning them all; it is about loving them all.


End file.
